Pianoforte-action.



Patented Dec. I9, I899.

T. C. LEWIS.

PIANOFORTE ACTION.

(Applica tion filed July 26, 189B.)

2 Sheets-Sheet l.-

(No Model.)

Patented Dec. 19, I899.

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

THOMAS CHRISTOPHER LEVIS, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

PIANOFORTE-ACTION,

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 639,255, dated December 19, 1899.

Application filed July 26,1899- io all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS CHRISTOPHER LEWIS, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, and a resident of London, England, have invented a certain new and usefullmproved Pianoforte-'-Action,(for which I have filed applications for patents in Great Britain, No. 4,468, dated March 1, 1899; in France, No. 287,162, dated March 24, 1899, and in Germany, dated March 30, 1899,) of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in pianofertes, and is applicable both to horizontal pianos, ordinarily known as grands, and to vertical pianos, ordinarily known as uprights; and it consists in an improved action which in a very simple and most easily regulated arrangement, in which the hammer and the jack or sticker are adapted to directly eoact as an effective check, insures a most sensitive finger touch and power of rapid repetition, entirely avoiding any liability of the hammer-blocking the string, and, among other advantages, dispenses with any separate check-wires or other additional check details customarily employed in existingactions,considerably reduces the number of parts composing the action as compared with the most perfect existing actions, avoids the present tedious and laborious process of regulating the same, and materially reduces the cost of manufacture, and, moreover, obtains the very considerable practical advantage of enabling the keys to be removed without any derangement of the adjustment of the action.

To this end the invention consists in an improved action characterized by the formation of the hammer-butt with a prolongation or tail adapted to meet and coact directly with the jack or sticker as an effective check upon the jack (having advanced the hammer until it is just upon the point of striking the pianoforte-string) being thrown by the set-off button from off the hammer-butt part on which it acted in advancing the hammer, the advancing jack being then met by the oppo sitely-advancing hammer-butt tail and forming therewith an effective and complete check, preventing any recoil or second stroke of the hammer or blocking of the string and arrest- Serial No. 725,120. (No model.)

ing the parts in position to allow, upon the slightest release and redepression of the key, of the jack effecting a repeat action of the hammer, and so insuring the utmost delicacy of linger touch and a perfect repeat action, while avoiding all customary additional check details, and also as regards upright-actions, characterized conjunctively with the aforesaid arrangement, by the set-oi'f button being applied to a prolongation of the jack-carrying lever beyond its connection to the jack and underlying the jack-arm, so as to cause the jack to set off from the hammer-butt leather roll into a recess in the hammer-butt between the roll and the hammer-butt center-pin, thus reversing the operation of all existing upright-actions and giving to uprightactions a sensitiveness to finger touch and power of rapid repetition hitherto only obtained in grand-actions.

On the accompanying drawings, Figures 1 and 2 represent in sectional elevation the ap plication of the invention to a grand-pianoforte action, and Figs. 3 and 4 represent in like View the like application to an upright-pianoforte action.

Referring to the action represented in Figs. 1 and 2, the tail end of the key Ct acts, through a baize-protected adjustable screw a, on a horizontal lever Z). The lever is pivotally supported at Z), and at pivotally supports the jack 0 and also carries a baized jack-rest b and a looped spring Z2, which normally, Fig. l, retains the jack against the jack-rest, with its tip in contact with the leather roll (1' of the ham mer-butt (Z in readiness for actuating the hammer (Z, Fig. 2, upon the key being depressed. The jack is formed with an arm 0, adapted to engage with an adjustable set-off button 0 (carried by the hammer-railflat the moment aforesaid when it is desired to throw off the jack-tip from the hammer-butt roll. The hammer-butt is formed with a plete check. The ham merbutt is also acted upon by a balancing-spring g, which lightens the touch, gradually becoming weaker in its action until such time as the jack is set off from the leather roll, and it also carries a pin (1 adapted to engage with a baized slot If in the jackrest and to support the action when not supported by the key, so permitting of the removal of the latter without derangement of the adjustment I of the action.

Referring to the action represented in Figs. 3 and 4, the parts are similarly arranged to the arrangement above described, excepting that the jack-rest U is independent of the lever Z) and carries the jaekretaining spring b", the set-off button 6 is adjustably applied to a prolongation b of the leverl) beyond the pivotal connection Z) of the jack to the latter and extending under the jack-arm c,the jacktip is looped at c to the ham mer-butt for rcturning the hammer, and a guide-pin 11 engagcs with a slot 0' in the jack and serves to support the action when not supported by the key. The prolongation Z) of the lever l) in this action beyond the pivotal connection of the jack to the latter and under the jack-arm in conjunction with the application of the set-off button to such prolongation is operative in causing the button to travel more quickly than the jack and at the desired moment to set off the jack-tip from the leather roll into a recess (1" between the roll and the hammer-butt center-pin, which, as aforesaid, is effective in giving to the action a sensitiveness of finger touch and power of rapid repetition equal to that of grand-actions and entirely foreign to existing urnight-actions, in which latter the jack, when set off from the part of the hammer-butt on which it acts, shifts away from the hammer-butt center-pin, and consequently requires a larger extent of finger motion to effect a repeat action than the improved upright-action requires. The attachment of the loop 0 to the jack and hammer-butt in the peculiar relation shown is also operative in effecting with certainty the return of the hammer owing to the loop tightening as the hammer advances to strike its blow in contradistinction to slackening at such time, as in existing arrangements, in which a loop connecting such parts is used. j is a wire leading from. the jack-arm to the damper-action. The leverb can be extended if underdampers are required.

The operation of the improved action is thus as follows: On the depression of the pianoforte -key its tail rises and through the screw ct operates thelever Z), lifting therewith the jack 0, causing it, by pushing on the hammer-butt roll, to raise the hammer until upon the hammer-head nearly reaching the pianoforte-string the jack-arm and the setoff button meet, which causes the jack-tip to be thrown from off the hammenbutt roll into the advancing recess d, so as to cease to opi crate the hammer. At the same moment the l hammer-butt tail and the advancing jack meet, Figs. 53 and -i-, and the parts are so arrested as to prevent any recoil or second aci tion of the hammer and as to allow, upon the slightest release and redepression of the key, of the jack cifccting a repeat action of the 1 hammer.

Owing to there being but two points of regulation-namely, the key-screw and the set-off buttonin the improved action, a considerable saving of time to tuners and regulators is effected, which is a consideration of very real importance to the trade. Moreover, the fewness of its parts enables the improved action to be made at a cost much less than that of any existing action and withal with a positive increase of efficiency and with the obtainment of the advantage of enabling any key to be removed without liability of cans ing any derangement in the adjustment of the action. l \Vhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is--- In pianoforte-actions, in combination, a

l pivoted hammer having a set-off recess between its roll or point of actuation and its center-pin and a tail or prolongation of its butt, and a jack or sticker adapted to normally engage with the ham mer-roll and when set off therefrom to shift toward the hammer center-pin, the ham mcr-butttail and the jack being then adapted to coact as a direct and perfect check, as set forth.

2. In pianoforte-actions, in combination, a pivoted hammer, a jack or sticker for actuating the hammer, a lever operated bya finger-'- key for carrying the jack, a ,jack-set-off button, and a jack-returning spring, the hammer having a set-off recess between its roll or point of actuation and its center-pin and a tail or prolongation of its butt, the spring being adapted to normally hold the jack against a jack-rest in position for actuating the hammer on the key being struck and to return it to such position after being actuated, and the set-off butt-on being adapted upon tne action being operated by the lingerkey to set off the jack-tip from the ham-- mer-roll into its set-off recess nearer its center-pin and to cause the jack to meet and to coact with the hammer-butt tail as a direct and perfect check, as set forth.

3. In pianoforte-actions, in combination, a pivoted hammer, a jack or sticker for actuating the hammer, a lever operated by a fingerkey for carrying the jack, a jack-set-off button, and a jack-returning spring, the hammer having a set-off recess between its roll or point of actuation and its center-pin and a tail or prolongation of its butt, the spring being adapted to normally hold the jack against a jack-rest in position for actuating the hammer on the hey being struck and to return it to such position after being actu- IIO ated, and the set-0E button being applied to hammer-butt tail as a direct and perfect a prolongation of the jack-carrying lever becheck, as set forth. 1o

yond its connection to the jack and underiy Signed at London, England, this 7th day of ing the jack-arm so as (upon the action be- July, 1899. 5 ing operated by the finger-key) to cause the THOMAS CHRISTOPHER LEWIS.

jack-tip to set off from the hammer-r011 into Witnesses:

its set-0E recess nearer its center-pin and to CHARLES AUBREY DAY,

cause the jack to meet and coaet with thei ALFRED CHARLES DAY. 

